Leticia (Leticia Series) Read online

  As for the mystery guy who saved me, well, he was gorgeous. Around 6ft tall, with very dark brown spiky hair and big green eyes. He had the perfect jaw-line and was well built but not all buff, thankfully, I hate guys that are too buff, I don’t think it looks right. I’d never seen him before either, but I hoped I would get to see him again.

  ***

  Wednesday and Thursday passed by very slowly, I didn’t go outside the door and luckily nobody tried to get in it either. Not long after I’d sat there thinking about the three guys, I knew I was going to have to find something to occupy my mind for the next couple of days, so I decided to have a good clear out. I went through the house, top to bottom. Got rid of all of the garbage I had kept and bagged up all sorts of clothes that I’d bought but never worn, ready to take them to a charity shop.

  It was now Friday and time to venture out. I had to make up for the appointments I had cancelled with my clients and get some shopping in. Throughout the day I got sick of telling everybody my lie about how ill I was, but appreciated the genuine concern my clients had for me, saying how glad they were to see me back to my normal, happy self. I got my shopping done and now, considering it was 6:30, I was going home.

  As I struggled through my front door, shopping bags hanging from my elbows, I suddenly caught a scent, a scent I recognized. I put the bags down in the hallway, then traced the area close to the house, but there was nobody around. Why would one of them be here? I hadn’t seen or heard of one for over twenty years, at least. Had it picked up my scent? Did it need help? After all, we look after our own. It couldn’t have been the guy who saved me, I would have picked up on what he was straight away, although thinking on it, I did pick up on something about him, not strong or that I recognized, but there was something about him that I couldn’t put my finger on.

  After having another look around and still not seeing anything, I decided to put my shopping away. Afterwards, I felt fed up and agitated so decided to take a nice walk around where I lived, I still had a couple of hours of day light left. It was risky but with how vast and desolate the moors were, I wouldn’t have to worry about defending myself if it came to it.

  I put my coat and hiking boots on and set off. I started walking and looked around at my surroundings, I decided not to venture to high up because the tops of the hills were covered in low cloud; I wouldn’t be able to see my hand in front of my face, but what an amazing sight it was. The clouds were like tidal waves crashing across and falling down the sides of the hills. It was beautiful, but they also looked a little menacing. Maybe we were in for another storm tonight.

  I’d been walking around for about half an hour and was now just at the approach to Saddleworth Moors, just past Upperwood Quarry. I suddenly got a sickening feeling that someone was watching me again, were they actually following me? I started to walk faster, I could hear their footsteps getting louder. They were getting closer. I felt myself getting angry inside ‘I have had just about enough of this crap now’ I thought, ‘time for you to meet the real me’. I spun around on the spot as quickly as I could,

  “Listen you son of a…” I blurted out. My chin dropped and I stuttered slightly “W… what are you doing here?” I asked with the most bizarre and confused look on my face. Standing a few feet in front of me was the guy who had saved me.

  “Just out taking a walk Leticia,” he replied.

  “How do you know my name?”

  “Well, I was there just before and when those guys attacked you, if you remember, they said your name.”

  “Oh,” I smiled. “I never got to thank you properly did I?”

  “No need.”

  I was about to say ‘yes, there is’ when he turned and started to walk away from me. I ran in front of him.

  “At least tell me your name,” I said to him.

  “Well I’m not sure why it’s so important but, it’s Jackson, good night Leticia,” He replied.

  “How very rude,” I shot at him after a split second of hesitation, and surprise at his abruptness. “Why did you even help me if you’re not even going to give me the time of day after?”

  “We look after our own.”

  “What is that supposed to mean Jackson?”

  “It means I saw a wolf in need.”

  “What? How do you know…?”

  “I have met your type before.”

  “OK, well, what are you then?”

  “I have to go now Leticia, see you around, and be careful.”

  I stood there silent and watched him walk away, slowly disappearing into the fog that had started to envelope the lower part of the hills. I didn’t know what to do or what to make of him. First impressions were, he was arrogant, unsociable, but more importantly he was supernatural, to know what I was straight away made that obvious.

  I made my way back home. All kinds of questions were racing through my mind, and no matter how much I tried to think of an answer to them, not one came. I walked through the door just in time, the heavens opened and the thunder started to roar. It was almost deafening, and the lightning was rather blinding. It was beautiful, but I was glad I wasn’t caught out in it. I made myself a drink and sat in the living room. I decided to read a book instead of watching the TV. I loved being able to escape into another world and leave all my problems and thoughts behind.

  I had only been reading about an hour when the phone rang. Not many people had that number, only a very select few of my clients, and surely none of them would ring at this time.

  “Hello,” I said rather warily.

  “Hi Leticia, its Mary Whitstable.”

  Mary was one of my older clients, eighty-two years old.

  “Hello Mary, are you ok?”

  “Yes, yes, I need to cancel my appointment tomorrow afternoon my love, I’m afraid I forgot and made a doctor’s appointment, and I really can’t cancel it, I’m so sorry to inconvenience you.”

  “That’s fine Mary; just give me a call when you want me.”

  “Thank you very much, see you soon.”

  I’d just gotten back to the sofa with my book when the phone rang again; I smiled to myself as I made my way to it. Mary was quite forgetful sometimes.

  “Hello,” I said, rather chirpy.

  “Hello, Leticia,” a deep male voice replied.

  “…………”

  “I know you’re still there, I can hear you breathing.”

  “Who is this?”

  “You’re on your own a lot these days, that’s not like you.”

  “I said who is this?”

  “It’s a shame you know, spending all your free time alone, doesn’t it make you wonder why….”

  I didn’t let him finish, I slammed the phone down and was about to dial 1471 to see what the caller’s number was, but before I picked up the handset it rang again. This time I lifted the receiver but said nothing.

  “That was very rude,” the voice almost shouted.

  “What do you want?”

  “To see you.”

  “Well, you know I’m alone so why not come now?”

  “I will, soon.”

  “No, not soon, do it now, what’s the matter can’t….”

  “I SAID SOON!” he screeched.

  “Piss off.”

  I cut the call off then decided to leave the phone off the hook, I didn’t want this weirdo calling me every two minutes for the rest of the night. It did un-nerve me though. How did this person know I was alone? Was he out there, watching me? Was it him that put the photographs in my bedroom?

  I double checked all the doors were locked and sat back in my living room. I couldn’t concentrate on my book anymore, so I tossed it on to the coffee table. Every little noise was making me jump, and when you consider that I live in the hills and its windy most nights, I had to listen to the windows creaking and the howling of the wind itself. I kept imagining someone breaking through my door, and trying to kill me, what I would do to defend myself. Would I change? Would I just allow them to attack me
and get it over and done with? I heal fast and it’s not like normal weapons can kill me anyway, I could just pretend they had.

  I walked into the kitchen to make myself a drink. As I was standing in front of the window, about to fill my kettle, a huge rock came crashing through my window. It hit me on my collar bone, I cried out in pain. The kettle fell from my hands and I ducked down behind the cupboards, holding my collar bone and shaking. The wind blew through my kitchen sending my mail and other papers flying onto the floor. I waited a few minutes to see if whoever had thrown the rock would attempt anything else, but nothing came. I stood up and tried to look out of the window, hoping to see my attacker, but the wind was so strong and it was raining so hard that visibility was almost zero. I tried to think of ways to fix my window and ended up taping the bottom of a thick cardboard box over it, luckily, despite the weather, it held.

  As you can imagine sleep didn’t come easily for me. I was more than tempted to call my clients the next morning and cancel their appointments for the day, but I’d done it once already and didn’t want them to think I was unreliable. I applied my make-up rather heavily to try and disguise how tired I looked; the last thing I was in the mood for was loads of questions.

  Luckily for me, my first client was so engrossed in conversation on her phone that I could simply concentrate on doing her nails and getting the hell out of there. I saw myself out and headed to my car fumbling through my bag for my keys. Just as I sat in the seat I saw something under one of my windshield wipers, a folded piece of paper. I looked around to check I wasn’t parked on any yellow lines; there weren’t any, so why the hell had I gotten a ticket? I yanked the piece of paper from under the wiper, as soon as I felt it I knew it wasn’t a parking ticket, it was too thick. I unfolded the paper, I got a hot pain in my chest and looked around me quickly, nobody was there, the street was empty. I looked at the paper again; it was a photograph of me taken this morning as I left my house. I was about to tear it up, but then decided against it and put it in the glove compartment ready for further inspection later.

  My next client was Sara Wilson, Marian’s sister, she was just as miserable and down in the dumps about everything as her sister. I just let her drone on with herself, nodding in agreement every now and again, but not really paying attention to what she was saying. The only thing I really listened to was what she told me when I was leaving.

  “Take care Leticia and see you in a fortnight, oh yes, and please be careful, Marian was saying that there has been a few new faces up here lately, and they look a bit menacing.”

  “Really, where has she seen them?” I asked, a little too interested for her liking.

  “Hmm, around Holmfirth Center she said, and apparently there were a few driving around the Moors yesterday afternoon.”

  “Oh really, what car were they driving?”

  “I don’t know why?”

  “Do you think you could find out for me?”

  “Why?”

  “There were a few people messing around last night, they looked like they were up to no good, I think they may be the ones your sister saw,” I lied.

  “Hang on,” she said pulling her mobile out of her pocket. “I’ll phone her and ask.”

  I waited on the path while she spoke to Marian, then she turned to face me.

  “They were in a rather beaten up Astra, not old, but it looked like it had had a few bumps.”

  “Hmm, I’ll keep my eyes open for it; I don’t really want to be running into them.”

  “Oh god no, you must stay safe,” she said shaking her head quickly. “Don’t approach them or anything, will you?”

  “Not at all, I better run, take care and thank you.”

  “Bye Leticia, you’re welcome.”

  I walked down the approach of the house and down the little side street to my car. There under the window wiper was another folded piece of paper. This time it was a photograph of me about to walk into my first client’s front garden. I tossed it in the car before standing in the middle of the road.

  “Here you go,” I shouted. “I’ll stand still for you while you get the next one.”

  I stood there for a few minutes before getting back in my car and speeding off.

  The same thing happened every time I came out of a client’s house, there was always a photograph of me entering the previous clients property, but sadly they hadn’t taken one while I stood there waiting for them. When I got home I took all of the photographs inside and spread them out on the kitchen table, studying each of them and trying to work out where the photographer must have been standing to get the photos. They were all crystal clear photos, so he or she couldn’t have been too far away.

  My studying was interrupted by someone knocking on my front door. I slipped one of the little kitchen knives into my back pocket and answered the door.

  “Parcel for you love,” the tall, blonde delivery driver smiled as he handed me a medium sized box.

  “Oh, OK, I don’t know what this is, but thank you.”

  I signed his little computer thing and closed the door, taking the parcel into the kitchen. I ripped the tape off and removed the lid. Inside was another little box, a jewellery box, like the ones you would put a ring in. I opened it carefully. Inside was a silver bullet, my name engraved down the side of it. There was a small folded piece of card in the lid, when I opened it and read the message, I felt sick. It read…

  Just in case you want to do us all a favor and do it yourself. x

  I threw the box against the wall and heard the bullet hit the floor and roll around. I was worried, upset and really, really annoyed. I could feel my teeth growing a little, the edges going sharper, my fingernails doubled in length. Just because people believed werewolves could only turn on a full moon didn’t mean it was the truth, neither did it mean they had to fully change. I could partially change whenever I wanted to, I would become more powerful, faster, and my eyes would no longer look human. I spun around in temper and swiped everything off the kitchen counter. Papers, a mug and glasses went crashing onto the floor, some of them shattering on impact. I ran out of the back door and through the garden out into the open grasslands of the Moors, changing more and more until eventually I was in wolf form, running on all fours, and not wanting to stop.

  Chapter 4

  I was sitting in the little cafe in the center of Holmfirth clutching a very strong coffee. I didn’t sleep at all last night; I was too on edge, so I was absolutely shattered. I’d spent most of the night running, trying my best to see if anyone was lurking around. To my disappointment, I didn’t find anyone. I admit, I was relieved when daylight came, I know I can look after myself but this was supposed to be a new start for me. I’d spent so much time alone completely isolated. This was supposed to be the beginning of the rest of my life, which for me was the beginning of forever.

  Luckily today was my day off so I could do whatever I wanted. I was tucked away in the darkest corner of the cafe, rarely looking up in case anyone noticed me and tried to speak to me. My mind was racing, who was doing this to me? Who had found out about me? Why did they want me dead? I didn’t do anyone any harm; I just wanted to live my life. Would I have to move again? Go back into isolation? I couldn’t do that again; I’d spent more or less every day for eight years in wolf form, hiding and moving between the barren lands of Longdendale Valley and the Northern Peak District. I’d not spoken to anyone, been close to anyone in anyway except on the odd day when I had no choice but to turn back to human form.

  I was about to take a sip of my coffee when a young girl in her early twenties sat at my table, directly in front of me.

  “Leticia,” she said in a low soft voice. “Right?”

  “Who wants to know?”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “……..”

  “Relax, I’m a nice person,” she smiled. “My name is Nancy, I live close by….”

  “Nancy, I’m not being rude, but what do you want? I’m not interested in buy
ing…”

  “Good because I’m not selling anything, I want to help you.”

  “With what?”

  “I know what you are and I know people are after you, you must have had a rough night, you look worn out.”

  I couldn’t say anything, how did she know?

  “Look, why don’t you come and see me, I’m in a bit of a rush now but like I said I live close by, I can give you directions to my place,” she said, quickly while pulling a piece of paper and a pen out of her bag.

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Trust me, we can help you,” she smiled again. “Now,” she said as she wrote. “I’ll tell you and write it down in case you forget. You come into the center, turn up Dunford Road and keep going. You go through the little village of Hade Edge, keep going straight and you’ll pass a big white pub on your right. You may find the road name changes, from like, Dunford, to Penistone, and so on, but just don’t turn off and you’ll be fine,” she continued. “After you go past the pub you’ll be on the road another three minutes or so and then you will see a little private road on the left. Turn down there, it’s about a quarter of a mile long then you’ll be on the driveway of my house. You can’t miss it it’s the only one there, I’m in the middle of nowhere,” she laughed. “But it’s for the best. I’ll put my mobile number on here too in case you need to call me.”

  She folded the piece of paper before passing it to me and told me not to lose it. I nodded and put it in my purse.

  “Now,” she said as she stood. “I’ll be in any time after five, please come around.”

  “I’ll think about it.”